Report: Former Hoboken assistant IT person says he wasn't involved in diverted e-mails

Hudson Reporter

Oct 17, 2012 | 2724 views | 1 | 10 | |

HOBOKEN -- Testimony wrapped up Wednesday in an administrative hearing for a former Hoboken City Hall worker who was terminated last year after city officials discovered thousands of mayoral e-mails allegedly diverted to a secret file and then allegedly slipped to two then-city officials.

Jonathan Cummins, an assistant to the director of information technology, was terminated by the city last year, but was never arrested in connection with the alleged e-mail theft. His boss, former IT director Patrick Ricciardi, was arrested months later and charged with creating a secret archival file of e-mails that had been sent among the mayor and her aides, and allegedly giving the e-mails to two officials.

The FBI complaint regarind Ricciardi had said that Ricciardi told them that Cummins allegedly confessed to city officials only because of his friendship with Ricciardi.

But this week, Cummins said that he did not, in fact, confess to the e-mail theft to city officials at all.

On the stand on Wednesday, Cummins said that he did not tell former City Business Administrator Arch Liston and former City Attorney Mark Tabakin that he was involved, according to a story on Hoboken Patch.

The story said that Cummins said he wasn't sure what the interrogation was about when the two men talked to him last year. He said that he had shared funny e-mails with other city officials, and thought perhaps that this is what the questioning pertained to.

This testimony directly contradicted Liston and Tabakin's testimony, in which they alleged that Cummins confessed.

Ricciardi has not yet been sentenced in the matter. He also did not testify, according to the story, because the matter may still be under criminal investigation.

The FBI told the Reporter for a story in July that the case was still being investigated. Ricciardi has not yet been sentenced.

Liston had said in testimony last week that the e-mails were allegedly given to former Public Safety Director Angel Alicea and current Fire Chief Richard Blohm, who has declined to comment. Mayor Dawn Zimmer also has declined to comment, citing personnel issues.